cuktivating film makers
ENGLISH PROGRAM
Practical Film Studies in Tel Aviv
Ha’Aruga is currently the only program of its kind in Israel for English-speaking filmmakers: an intimate, hands-on 8-month framework for those seeking a serious way into the world of filmmaking in Israel — without committing to a three-year course of study, and without giving up depth, guidance, or a real creative process.
At Ha’Aruga, film is not taught only through concepts, but through practice: writing, cinematography, directing, editing, viewing, discussion, and active participation in a creative group. Throughout the program, each student develops a personal cinematic language, acquires professional tools, and goes through a process that connects idea, vision, and creation.
What Do We Study?
At Ha’Aruga, the program is structured around practice and the making of films. Throughout the year, students do not study directing, writing, cinematography, and editing as isolated subjects, but as connected parts of an ongoing creative process that leads toward making films.
Throughout the program, students work on developing a personal idea, translating thought into scene, building a visual world, and working with time, rhythm, image, actors, reality-based material, and story.
The first semester focuses on foundations, exploration, and sharpening each student’s personal voice; the second semester takes the work further, toward developing a more defined cinematic language and deepening the personal projects.
Program Structure
The program runs for 8 month and takes place twice a week: on Sundays and Wednesdays, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, in Tel Aviv.
The program begins in October, is divided into two semesters, and ends in early July.
This structure allows students to enter a meaningful and intensive creative process, while still making it possible to combine the program with work, family, or other commitments. It is designed for those who want to make real space for creation, without putting the rest of life on hold.
Not Just Studying. Making.
Throughout the program, each student:
- creates two short films
- develops a screenplay ready for production or submission
- takes part in the productions of their classmates’ films
The shared creative work is an essential part of the process. Ha’Aruga is not just a place for lectures, but a framework in which students work, experiment, make mistakes, refine, support one another, and gradually enter into the real way films are made.
The process of creating each student’s own films, together with participating in their classmates’ productions, adds up to substantial hands-on experience - experience that can genuinely open doors in the world of film.
Who Is It For?
The program is designed for people who want to study and make films.
It is especially suited to creators coming from other fields: acting, writing, music, dance, art, photography, or theater - who want to expand their creative tools through filmmaking.
The program is also a good fit for talented young people who are not looking for a three-year course of study, as well as for people who are already working or raising families and want to enter into filmmaking without putting the rest of their lives on hold.
In short, this is a program for those looking for a serious framework that is not alienating; practical, but not merely technical; one that offers both rigor and guidance, while leaving room to develop a personal voice.
Learn from People Who Actually Make Films
The program is taught by active professionals working in film, screenwriting, cinematography, editing, and film culture.
Double semester courses are taught by Benjamin Freidenberg and Evgeny Gusyatinskiy.
In the first semester, students study with Boaz Debby, Zvi Landsman, and Nohar Avigail Haseen.
In the second semester, they continue with Yaeli Feldman, Daniella Nowitz, and Miki Kohn Barlev.
The faculty includes directors, screenwriters, editors, cinematographers, critics, curators, and festival programmers - among them award winners and internationally active filmmakers whose work has been shown at major festivals and institutions in Israel and around the world.
For the full faculty page, click here: Our Lecturers - English Program
What Does the Admissions Process Look Like?
Ha’Aruga is an intimate learning framework, and for that reason the admissions process involves getting to know each applicant and making a thoughtful selection, rather than relying on automatic enrollment alone.
We aim to build a small and carefully chosen group of people who are looking to enter a serious process of creation, collaboration, and personal development.
The admissions process includes:
1. an introductory conversation
2. a personal interview with Boaz Debby, the program director
3. submission of a short writing and photography exercise
4. formal registration and payment
The goal of the process is not only to assess fit, but also to allow for a real introduction - to who you are, what interests you, and the way you approach creative work.
What Do You Get During the program?
The program includes eight courses in directing, writing, cinematography, and editing, alongside sustained hands-on work on personal projects throughout the program. Over the course of the program, each student creates two short films and develops a screenplay ready for production or submission.
Alongside the core courses, the program also includes additional workshops, masterclasses, and professional sessions, including a sound recording workshop, production workshop, festival submission workshop, and other sessions that expand the learning beyond the classroom and connect the creative process to the practical sides of filmmaking.
In addition, students receive one-on-one meetings with the teachers at key stages of the process — before shooting, around questions of directing, production, and cinematography, and afterward, during editing and the completion of the film. This guidance allows for personal and precise work beyond the classroom setting.
The school provides two professional cameras and sound recording equipment for productions, which students can borrow in an organized way for their personal films. In addition, the program includes access to further production equipment - including lighting gear, a director’s monitor, and additional supporting equipment - through Different, a professional equipment rental house located next to Ha’Aruga’s studio on Yitzhak Sadeh Street. Each production is given a dedicated budget for equipment rental.
The full tuition for the program is 16,500 NIS, with the option to spread the payment over 8 installments.
There is an early registration discount available.
Ha’Aruga is not yet a recognized university institution, and the tuition reflects the scope of the training, the small-group format, the personal guidance, the workshops and masterclasses, and the practical resources students receive throughout the program.
The Essentials, at a Glance
- Program duration: 8 month
- Study days: Sundays and Wednesdays
- Hours: 9:00 AM–3:00 PM
- Location: 32 Yitzhak Sadeh St., Tel Aviv
- Program begins: October 11, 2026
- Program ends: early July 2027
The full tuition for the English-language program is 16,500 NIS, with the option to spread the payment over 8 installments. An early registration discount available.
Want to See If the Program Is Right for You?
For many students, the program is also a way into the Israeli film industry. Beyond the courses themselves, it offers meaningful contact with working filmmakers, editors, cinematographers, teachers, and peers - and helps students begin to understand how the Israeli film world actually works from the inside.
If you are looking for a place to study filmmaking in a practical way, develop a personal language, and work within an intimate and serious framework - we would be happy to get to know you.
You are welcome to contact us for an introductory conversation and to receive more information about the program and the admissions process.
Boaz Debby, Program Director: 054-4235036
Email: arugaschool@gmail.com